Pulling Together
A six month
Organizational Effectiveness Series designed for the small business or nonprofit with
8 to 20 people.
The Need
Research into productivity shows the importance of: collaboration, attention to process, trusting people, sharing power, being authentic, expressing feelings, and valuing diversity in the workplace. Brain research indicates that people learn in safe environments where they can risk. Large corporations know the importance of teambuilding, organizational development and executive coaching. They devote resources to these knowing that this will yield the best return on investment. A harmonious work environment increases productivity and invites return customers.
All too often we think we can separate work from home and from play. Try as we might our Grandparents come to work with us in the form of a myriad of family patterns that play out on the job. Our descendants come to work in our aspirations and dreams.
The Fish video of the Seattle Seafood market demonstrates one possibility of teamwork. When we stand for our values and stay connected to others anything is possible.
Pulling Together
Research into the efficacy of consultants indicates that: “The understanding of systems and organizational development will increase the chances of effective implementation of these values [to the left], increase the possibilities of people working with one another in any given system instead of against each other.” (Josefowitz. 1980)
“Pulling Together” recognizes that most of the real development work is a matter of changing deep seated behavior patterns. This usually takes time. Therefore this series is spread over a six month period. It includes an orientation, three half day workshops, four individual coaching sessions and a two hour wrap up. This allows time to observe communication and relationship patterns as well as the way the system deals with anxiety. It allows time to inventory individual and group strengths, decide on vision and mission, experiment, and learn to use new tools. With sessions at two week intervals, there is time to test new ideas and behaviors, and the assurance of ongoing support.
The series costs $5000 plus any rental and food if meeting offsite.)
Your Results
The small business functions much more like a family system than like a corporate system. “Pulling Together” brings the appropriate Family Systems tools to this setting. Personal goals, communication styles and vulnerabilities replace corporate structure. The “Pulling Together” perspective includes the spiritual, emotional, and systemic aspects of relationships.
Mark Needham, a manager says about Paul Jacobs: “He has a tremendous ability to relate to people by listening carefully and supporting them in a firm but gentle manner … Paul is adept at guiding people to reach their own conclusions centered in God.”
At the end of a project which Unity Circle recently facilitated, a long-standing church member shared that her husband had decided to join the church. He said any community that could accomplish that project and come out stronger is one he wants to belong to.
Sources
This process is based on the work of and material drawn from:
Dr. Clare Graves / Don Beck / Spiral Dynamics
Dr. Murray Bowen / Lombard Mennonite Peace Center / Family Emotional Systems
Peter Steinke / LMPC / Healthy Congregations
Ken Wilber / Integral Futures
Dr. Martin Seligman / Positive Psychology
Jane Kise et. al. / LifeKeys
The Gallup Organization / Strengthsfinder
Eva Pierrakos, dr. michael ryce, Tim Burns, Paul and Gail Dennison, Howard Gardner, and innumerable other trailblazers.
Unity Circle is a non profit Community Building consultancy and therefore charges cost plus a donation for services.
Paul Jacobs has a BA and is completing an MA focused on Community Building. He is a Unity Minister,
Community Group Conference facilitator and mediator.
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